PuppyDog Persistence
by BingeB
Summary: When Arthur finds out that his one-night stand is only 17 years old, he does everything in his power to forget about it. But unfortunately, Merlin has other ideas, and just will not leave him alone. SLASH! Warnings inside! COMPLETE.
1. Chapter 1

RATING: Big fat M (ye be warned!)  
GENRE: Modern AU, romance, slash  
DISCLAIMER: I own nothing.

**WARNINGS**: Underage - depending on where you're from (Merlin's 17), explicit sexitimes, SLASH, general drunkeness

**SUMMARY**: When Arthur finds out that his one-night stand is only 17 years old, he does everything in his power to forget about it. But unfortunately, Merlin has other ideas, and just will not_ leave him alone_.

_**A/N**__ This is Merlin does Queer as Folk. There are a lot of similarities, but I certainly didn't follow the plots or characters completely. I just wanted a puppy-dog innocent!Merlin and a longsuffering!Arthur and couldn't help but make parallels to Brian/Justin XD _

_**NOTE:**__ The age of consent for sex in England is 16 (I don't know whether it's different everywhere else?) so Arthur is only over exaggerating when he fears that he'll be sent to jail, because Merlin is technically of age. _

_But the legal drinking age is 18, so when Merlin goes out to drink, he is actually underage._

* * *

**Puppy-dog Persistance  
(1/3)**

Arthur carefully sipped at his pint and scanned Camelot's bar, eyes skimming each customer and mentally marking them out of ten. It was a habit he never admitted to - fearing people would find him shallow, something that was only partly true - but it was something he simply couldn't stop himself from doing nevertheless; people rarely met his somewhat impossible standards, so he found it was often better to grade them first.

"What are you looking for?" said his friend Leon from beside him, eyebrows raised expectantly.

Arthur glanced over some sort of bodybuilder with no shirt on, a pale dark-haired man, and someone with an afro so big it blocked the two people behind him, before shrugging. "What does it look like?" he asked, gulping down half his pint in one shallow. "A man."

Leon gave him a small smile and shook his head. "A man as in someone you're going to regret sleeping with the morning after, or an actual boyfriend?"

"A boyfriend," Arthur replied defensively, lips curving into an irritated little frown, catching the insinuation behind his friend's words. "It's not my fault there's never anybody I like enough to date."

"It's because you're picky," Leon pointed out, ignoring Arthur's death glare of doom. He swirled his drink around his glass and took a sip. "And probably have commitment phobia."

Arthur opened his mouth and grunted. "I do not have commitment phobia!" he cried, crossing his arms and ordering a tequila shot. He really didn't want to go into his various - and rather extensive - personal issues. Camelot Gay Club was really not the place. "And I'm not picky - exactly. I just have -"

"High expectations," Leon finished, smirking behind the rim of his pint glass, obviously amused that he was getting his friend in all of a dither. "Expectations that nobody can meet."

Arthur resented that. People _could_ reach his expectations! He'd have no problem getting committed to Johnny Depp or Justin Timberlake, only he'd heard they weren't available. Or gay.

"People can meet them!" he argued, eyebrows creasing, already feeling as though he was fighting a losing battle.

"Really, 'cause that guy has been staring at you for over an hour and you've barely given him a second glance," Leon muttered, nodding his head over to the other side of the bar and waggling his eyebrows.

Arthur frowned and turned his head, glancing up from under his eyelashes in a way that he hoped was subtle, trying to identify who his friend was referring to. He immediately clapped eyes on a pale young man with messy black and bright blue eyes, all sharp cheekbones and oversized ears. Sort of cute, in a bizarre sort of way, and he was definitely interested in Arthur. He caught his gaze almost instantly and beamed, managing to look both shy and unashamed all at once. _Weird_.

The blond smiled back despite himself, the grin strangely contagious, and threw Leon a triumphant glance. "I'm going to speak to him," he announced, sounding quite proud of himself. "That's definitely giving him more than a second glance."

"Guaranteed you'll find something wrong with him in less than five minutes," Leon said, as though issuing some sort of challenge. It made Arthur grit his teeth, because he just hated it when he felt as though he had something to prove.

"Oh, you just watch," he muttered, "and you will see."

Giving his friend a small wave of farewell, Arthur crossed the bar and took a seat beside the dark-haired stranger, whose eyes were gleaming in amazement. He licked his lips and scanned Arthur carefully, taking in the features of his face and the lines of his clothes. He looked weirdly anxious, but eager, expression shining in the flashing lights.

"Hi," he mouthed, giving his fingers a small waggle in a way that Arthur found quite cute. "I'm Merlin."

"Arthur," the blond replied, nodding his head. "Nice to meet you. Would you like a drink?"

Merlin beamed so bright it made Arthur blink in bemusement. "That would be great."

Oh, Merlin was going to be _so_ easy.

* * *

Two hours later they were tumbling back into Arthur's apartment, both drunk, woozy, and a little bit eager.

Merlin tangled his hands into Arthur's hair, tugging on the strands, and thrust his tongue deeper into his lover's mouth, sloppy and wet, but completely obscene. His elbows - jutting and painful - stuck into Arthur's sides before the blond finally managed to wrestle them into submission, pinning them to Merlin's sides in a gesture of dominance.

When they finally came up for air a minute later, Merlin's hair was mussed, his eyes wild, and his cheeks were flushed. He clutched onto Arthur's shirt as though unable to let him go, and scanned the spacious apartment, mouth opening into a silent 'oh!'

"Your place is amazing," Merlin breathed, an inane grin stretching wide across his face. He took in the leather sofas, wide-screen TV, and stainless steel kitchen with a look of wonder, both bright and infectious.

Arthur laughed. "How about you check out the bedroom?" he whispered against Merlin's lips, feeling the dizzying effects of alcohol making his head spin.

Merlin's eyes flicked over his face and he let out a breath, Adam's apple bobbing incessantly. After a moment he nodded his head and gripped Arthur's hand, allowing him to lead him into his room, to his comfy King-sized bed. They collapsed on its surface - the blond on top, naturally - and began a nasty stripping of clothing, Arthur pulling off his own shirt and jeans, before turning his attention to a glassy-eyed Merlin.

His skimmed his hands down a pale torso, stomach quivering, and palmed at the dark-haired man through his jeans, enticing a long shaky moan. Merlin was gazing up at him, bright eyed and shallow breathed, bringing up a hesitant hand to glide over the skin of Arthur's collarbone, fingering at the bone. His hands wandered the plains of Arthur's back, the muscles of his chest, and the flat of his stomach, caressing with an unexpected tenderness, eyes watching his own movement with a glazed wonderment.

He planted wet kisses across Arthur's shoulders, pulling the blond closer, and allowed him to wriggle off his jeans, a blush spreading from his cheeks all the way down to his stomach.

Arthur grinned.

"You're a shy one?" Arthur asked, raising his eyebrows and watching the guy blush even deeper. "I wasn't expected that - not with the way you were flirting with me at Camelot."

"Flirting with you?" Merlin breathed, shaking his head a bit and frowning in confusion, eyes wide. He paused, faking thoughtfulness, before giving Arthur a cheeky little smile. "Was that before or after you came over to _me_?"

The blond made a pretend-horrified face. "_You_ were making eyes at me across the bar!" he pointed out, squeezing the dark-haired man in the side.

Merlin let out a strange little giggle and wriggled under Arthur's grasp, lips quirking. "Oh, so you did notice?" he gasped, spreading his hands down Arthur's back until they reached his ass, squeezing softly. "I thought I was doing it wrong."

"No," Arthur replied, sucking against the dark-haired man's jaw and peppering kisses down his throat. He caressed the skin around the man's boxers, stroking at the inside of his thighs, and enticed his legs open. "I just needed a push in the right direction."

Merlin flung back his head and said nothing, breathing ragged and thighs quivering. He pushed his hips up against Arthur's hands and wriggled deliciously, attempting to gain friction for his aching cock. Grinning, Arthur answered his silent plea and kicked off his own bottoms, before hooking his fingers in the waistband of Merlin's boxers and dragging them downwards. The dark-haired man flushed even darker and bit his lip, eyelashes fluttering.

Arthur shuffled down and lapped at his stomach, feeling it jump, as he caressed the skin around the other man's cock, including his thighs, hips and navel. Merlin was arching upwards - utterly unable to stop himself - and begging for the touch, sweat shining on his brow. He was practically mewing, the sounds vibrating from the back of his throat, and let out a high-pitched cry when Arthur gave up his teasing and engulfed his throbbing cock deep into his mouth, bobbing up and down with an agonizingly slow rhythm.

The blond licked up his shaft, fingering his balls, and hollowed his cheeks, sucking hungrily as Merlin gasped in pleasure, fingers clenching at the sheets. Arthur moved up and down, slow at first, tonguing the head, before lowering himself completely, Merlin's dick sliding all the way down his throat, until his lips could feel the brush of the man's dark pubic hair.

Merlin groaned, loud and unstrained, hips bucking, and fucked himself into Arthur's mouth, unable to resist the hot, wet heat. He arched his back, begged incoherently, and writhed beneath Arthur's touch, looking as though he was seconds away from coming undone, in a loud and rather messy manner.

Unable to laugh in triumph for obvious reasons, the blond circled his hands around the man's thighs, stroking at the damp skin and finding his entrance, which he caressed with a slow and pointed finger.

Merlin let out a gasp, eyes widening, and managed to lift his head enough to gasp, "What are you doing?"

Arthur released the man's leaking red cock for a moment, sliding his finger into the tight ring of muscle, and pumped it quickly. "What does it look like?"

Merlin jerked with the sensation, looking panicked, and let out a strangled cry. "I - I've never done _that_ before," he admitted hesitatingly, face flushing a deep red, unable to stop himself from fucking himself down on Arthur's finger as the man froze, utterly bemused.

"You're - you're a _virgin_?" the blond hissed, unable to believe it. How on earth could Merlin be a virgin? He was gorgeous, in a bizarre sort of way. "How old are you?"

Merlin panted, face shining with sweat and said, "Twenty. I just haven't…"

Arthur watched him carefully, his own arousal throbbing and painful, before he resumed his ministrations, twisting his finger and enticing a moan. "Do you want to?" he breathed, because he knew he had to ask - he had to make sure it was what Merlin wanted, no matter his age.

The dark-haired man rolled his eyes in a sarcastic sort of way and shoved himself down onto Arthur's hand. "What do you think?" he gasped.

Needing no more prompting, the blond added another finger and scissor-ed them apart, watching Merlin's ass part to accommodate them. He leaned over to his bedside table, scrabbled for condoms and lube, before pulling them out victoriously, coating his fingers in the thick wet substance and using it to press in another finger, smiling in triumph as Merlin back arched tantalisingly, revealing acres of pale moist flesh.

He twisted his fingers, watching them disappear into the tight hot hole, and gave Merlin's throbbing red cock a swift strong stroke. The dark-haired man let out a throaty groan and cried, "Arthur! Please - please - fuck me," in a croaky broken voice, looking as though he was in serious danger of passing out.

Unable to resist for a moment longer - his own cock heavy and hard against his stomach - Arthur withdrew his hand slowly, revelling in Merlin's pathetic little whine as he collapsed back against the sheets, breathless and boneless, in an endearing sort of way. Arthur smiled and put the condom on with a slightly trembling hand, dizzy with arousal, before leaning himself down against Merlin's quivering form, coating him with his firm warm body.

"You want this?" he checked, looking directly into Merlin's bright glazed eyes.

The dark-haired man nodded violently, licking his lips, and muttered, "So much."

Smiling in what he hoped was a reassuring way, Arthur grasped at Merlin's legs and heaved them over his shoulders, his hands firm and controlling on the other man's skin. He kissed Merlin softly on the lips, slowly and languidly, hoping to distract him as he angled his ass upwards, pressing his leaking erection against the man's shiny open entrance.

He looked Merlin directly in the eye and thrust his hips forwards, sliding his cock into the glorious heat in one smooth slick motion.

Merlin gasped, eyes widening, and let out a straggled little noise, a fiery red flush high on his cheeks.

"Wait," Arthur whispered, holding still as Merlin jerked slightly, his internal muscles fluttering around his cock. "It gets better."

The dark-haired man nodded, looking strangely trusting, and pushed up his head to capture Arthur's lips in another kiss, his warm breath puffing against his lover's mouth.

They kissed slowly for a moment, tongue against tongue, hot, filthy and wet, before the blond began to move, drawing out and thrusting back in, feeling Merlin gasp down his throat. He moved jerkily, thrusting his hips in a somewhat haphazard rhythm, feeling the dark-haired man become loose and pliant beneath him, sweat sliding down his forehead.

They rocked against each other, panting against each other's lips, Arthur vaguely thinking, _He's a quick learner, _as release built quickly on them both.

Merlin was moaning, neck arched, back bowed, and clasping at Arthur's arms, in a pathetic attempt to keep himself grounded. His ass kept clenching on Arthur's cock, making him see stars, and realising he wasn't going to last a whole lot longer, the blond brought his hand to Merlin's leaking erection, angry and red, and gave it one swift tug.

Merlin screamed, jerking upwards, and came between their stomachs, causing Arthur to follow him instantly to orgasm, cock exploding and muscles spasming.

He let down a long drawn out moan and collapsed, Merlin's body motionless beneath him.

Best hook-up _ever, _he decided. Leon was a _genius_.

* * *

Arthur grumbled quietly the next morning and flipped himself over on his stomach, a pale skinny arm heavy on his waist. He blinked his eyes open, wincing from the morning light, and felt his head swim in confusion.

A shrill beeping was buzzing from his beside table, a screeching sound that echoed through his aching skull, pounding on the inside of his brain with alarming intensity. He lurched upwards, feeling dizzy, but reached over to an unfamiliar vibrating mobile phone, the word 'Mum' flashing incessantly across it's screen.

Blinking bemusedly, Arthur checked and rechecked the number, utterly bewildered; considering his mother had died in childbirth, the likelihood of her calling him was very small indeed.

He glanced quickly to his side, taking in the sprawled body of last night's hook-up, pale and lithe over his bed and opened his mouth in realisation, suddenly recognising that the phone didn't belong to him. He gave the snoozing man - Merlin, if he remembered correctly? - a quick kick in the shin, and thrust the still ringing mobile into his sleepy grasp, muttering, "You're mum's calling," as Merlin jerked awake.

The man, looking drowsy and thoroughly fucked, stared at him for a moment before the words registered, quickly leaping out the bed and taking Arthur's duvet with him. He scrambled into the hallway, wrapping the sheets around himself shyly and ignoring Arthur's indigent "HEY!" before he flipped open his phone and muttered, "Mum, hi!"

The blond - sat naked and chilly on an empty bed - stared at Merlin's back for a long moment, brow furrowing, as he watched the other man converse with his mother. He rubbed at his aching head, casting his mind back to the night before, and blinked as Merlin's words, "I've never done that," echoed repeatedly through his mind.

Merlin had been a virgin. And his mother was calling him. At nine in the fucking morning.

Something was definitely not right.

Arthur was still trying to piece together why he felt so uneasy when Merlin hung up the phone, bidding his mum farewell, and plodded back into the room. He glanced at the blond, smiled widely, face flushing, and said, "I've got to go, but - but I'd really like to see you again." He bit his lip nervously, looking up at Arthur from under fluttering eyelashes, cheeks shining hopefully.

The blond blinked, captured momentarily by the utter adorableness that was the expression on Merlin's face, before he frowned, scanning the dark-haired man's face calculatingly. There was a long pause - in which Merlin was beginning to look increasingly uncertain and embarrassed - until Arthur asked musingly, "How old are you?"

Merlin looked shocked for a moment, then recomposed himself, letting out a shaky laugh. "I told you last night, remember?"

Arthur did remember, but in the cold light of morning, the alcohol almost gone from his system, Merlin's answer was looking increasingly unlikely. He looked quite old, for his long lanky face, but his face was naive and trusting - shining with innocence.

"I'm twenty," Merlin said again, scrabbling into his clothes and avoiding looking Arthur directly in the eye.

The blond watched him for a moment, taking in soft white skin and a fiery red blush, as something heavy and uneasy settled on his stomach. "Are you really twenty?" he asked, unconcerned with his own nakedness as Merlin looked at him with a somewhat glazed expression, eyes wide and round. "And think very carefully before you answer me."

"Twenty?" Merlin blinked, looking up from Arthur's chest to locate his face, and nodded. "Oh yes, definitely."

Arthur inclined his head in quiet consideration and attempted to look nonchalant. "So you're in uni?"

"Uhm-hmm." Merlin nodded enthusiastically - a little too enthusiastically for Arthur's liking.

"What do you study?" he asked, cocking his head to the side curiously and crossing his arms.

"Um," Merlin began, scratching his chin. He looked away for a moment, before glancing back up from beneath his eyelashes and licking his lips nervously. "Uh…maths."

"Really?" Arthur asked, wracking his brain. He was a businessmen, who had studied economics, and knew a little about Maths himself. If Merlin thought he could outsmart _him_, he had another thing coming. "Then what is Dirac's delta function, and how is it used?

Merlin's eyes boggled, and he opened his mouth, attempting to answer, before he shut it again. "I - uh - I'm -"

"You've never even heard of it, have you?" Arthur interrupted, cutting Merlin off before something completely stupid dropped out his mouth. He brought his hand to his face and groaned, an utterly terrifying thought suddenly occurring to him. "God, please tell me you're over 18." He let out a ragged breath. "Please tell me your not still in school."

Silence.

Arthur gaped. "Fuck - fuck - _fuck_!" he gasped, closing his eyes in an attempt to ignore Merlin's guilt-stricken face. "I am going to be arrested! I'm going to fucking be arrested, put on paedophile lists, and become the prison bitch. Fuck - fuck - fuck."

"You won't be arrested!" Merlin exclaimed, looking panicked now. "I'm seventeen!"

If it was possible, Arthur's eyes widened even further; they were in serious danger of dropping out his head. "_Seventeen?_! Are you kidding me right now?" He waved his arms around wildly, but even then, it could not suitably express his outrage. "_Seventeen_?"

"What's the matter?" Merlin asked, shrugging his shoulders and nibbling his lip. "You're not that much older than me. You're no older than your mid-twenties."

Arthur's eyes narrowed and he pitched forwards, breath fanning threateningly across the other man's - _boy's_! - face. "I'm twenty-four, Merlin," he hissed, as the dark-haired man toppled backwards. "I've graduated uni and have got a job! You on the other hand, have barely hit puberty!"

"Hey!" Merlin exclaimed, recomposing himself in time to look insulted.

Arthur shook his head, now throbbing pointedly, and waved an arm towards the door, at a complete loss about what else to do. "You need to leave," he muttered, ignoring the way Merlin's face instantly dropped out the corner of his eye.

_God_, he really was nothing but a little boy!

"What?" Merlin mouthed, lips curling into an upset little frown. He twiddled his thumbs, looked down at his hands, and spoke to the floor. "I wanted to - maybe - I don't know - go out sometime."

Like another punch in the gut, Arthur reeled back in surprise. "Are you actually _serious_?" he asked, sounding disbelieving. "You can't honestly think I'm going to date you?"

Merlin looked up, eyes wide and earnest. "Why not? You said you liked me - and I thought, well, the sex was good. I liked it." He took in a breath, his face flushing, and became unable to meet Arthur's eye. "I mean, if it wasn't good for you, I can get better - we could practise."

Arthur closed his eyes, attempting not to hyperventilate. "_No_, Merlin, we will not be practising anything," he hissed, clutching his head. "The sex was fine - it was good - but you are _seventeen_! It would never work."

"But -" the dark-haired man began, looking strangely insistent.

"No buts, Merlin," Arthur cut off, before he could get even more worked up. He walked to the door and opened it, suppressing the surge of guilt at the sight of Merlin's quivering lip. It wasn't _his_ fault - the dark-haired man should have been honest with him! "Please leave now."

Merlin stared at him for a long moment, looking hurt, before he scuttled to the exit, clutching his belongings to his chest and blinking rapidly. He gave Arthur one last pleading look over his shoulder, until the blond stalked to the door and slammed it shut behind him, burying his head in his hands in complete horror.

It was all Leon's fault, really.

* * *

Arthur didn't see Merlin again for two weeks. He'd almost forgotten the whole incident (despite the persistent images of Merlin's fluttering eyelashes) and was beginning to feel comfortable going to Camelot again, figuring he must have dodged the preverbal bullet.

But of course, life is _never_ that kind.

He was puffing on a cigarette outside of the club, hunched from the icy wind, when somebody popped up beside him, lips stretched into a wide broad smile.

"Merlin!" Arthur gasped, jerking back in surprise and clutching at his chest. "_Do not do that_!"

The dark-haired man grinned, hair in complete disarray around his head and eyes shining mischievously - a complete turn-around from the last time Arthur had seen him, fleeing his apartment upset and dejected. "Hello," he said, raising in eyebrows in quiet expectation. He leant sideways against the alley wall, only inches from Arthur's arm, and scanned Arthur's face closely.

"God, Merlin. What are you doing here?" the blond exclaimed, looking down sadly at the cigarette he'd squashed between his fingers. _Fuck_. "You're underage, remember?"

Merlin ignored him. "So you come here to pick up men, then?" he asked, in a tone that suggested indifference. But his eyebrows were creased, his lips pursed, and something angry was gleaming in his eyes. It was a look Arthur didn't appreciate! Merlin had no right to feel angry; he was a one night stand that should _never_ have happened, not his boyfriend!

"How would you know what I come here for?" he questioned, feeling slightly defensive. Why was he bothering to answer himself to _Merlin_?

"I've been watching you - flirting and dancing with guys," Merlin replied, no longer able to keep the jealousy from his voice. He pouted, eyes sad, but raised his shoulders, attempting to shrug it off. "And I've asked about you. Everyone in here knows who you are, and most of them want to sleep with you. Quite a lot of them have."

Arthur opened his mouth to retort, but had no idea what to say, so allowed Merlin to continue, feeling strangely discomfited. Was Merlin _stalking_ him?

"I mean - I didn't think you were like that," the dark-haired man admitted, voice becoming smaller the longer that he talked. He looked down at the ground, face flushing, and was suddenly unable to meet Arthur's eyes. "You seemed nice. I guess finding out I was really young was just a good way of shrugging me off the morning after."

Arthur was rapidly beginning to feel quite resentful. "Just because I hook-up with people sometimes, does not make me a bad person," he argued, flattening his cigarette against the wall with far more force than was strictly necessary; he _hated_ people making assumptions about him. "And I shrugged you off, because yes, you are too young."

"So if I wasn't," Merlin asked, looking up from under his eyelashes in a way that was sickeningly coy, "would you date me?"

"Moot point." Arthur banged his head back against the brick wall, somewhat hoping that he'd manage to knock himself out and not have to finish such a ridiculous conversation, but he only succeeded in making himself see stars.

God, he was never hooking up with anyone who looked a day under the age of twenty-five, _ever_ again.

"Just hypothetically?" Merlin pressed, blue eyes wide and insistent.

"I don't know!" Arthur exclaimed, throwing up his arms, feeling exasperated. "I don't really know you, Merlin."

The dark-haired man shuffled closer, biting his lip, until he was pressed up against Arthur's side. "You could _get_ to know me," he whispered, breath fanning across Arthur's neck in a way that was definitely _not_ arousing.

The blond closed his eyes, sighed loudly, and pointedly moved away. "No, Merlin," he said tiredly, scrubbing at his forehead with the palm of his hand. He suddenly had a pounding headache. "You're sweet and everything - if not slightly stalkerish - but too young. I'm sure you can find someone nice your own age."

Merlin stared at him sadly for a long moment, lip quivering, and moved slowly away, as though reluctant to admit defeat. "Fine," he said, sounding stronger than the blond had expected. "Fine."

He turned on a heel and marched away, appearing angry, but Arthur caught the sound of a loud sniff before Merlin disappeared round the corner, heading straight back towards the club.

Arthur sighed. Good god, he hoped he hadn't made Merlin cry. The kid was cute, and didn't deserve to be hurt, but he was _just a kid_. Eager, naïve, and completely clueless.

He had a lot to learn.

* * *

After smoking almost his whole pack of cigarettes, Arthur slunk back into Camelot about an hour later, feeling a little bit miserable. He found Leon sat at the bar and plonked down next to him, ordering a couple of shots from the bartender.

"What's wrong?" his friend asked immediately, taking in his despondent expression. "You've been gone ages. I thought you'd copped off without telling me."

Arthur let out a short laugh and downed his drinks. "I would never do that to you," he placated, giving his friend a firm pat on the back.

"I find that hard to believe," Leon retorted, with a raised brow. He sipped at his own drink before continuing, looking at Arthur with an expectant expression. "So, what happened?"

The blond frowned down at his empty glasses, and hailed the bartender, eager for another tequila shot. "I think I made someone cry," he explained flatly, almost unable to believe it. He hadn't made someone cry - outside of work, obviously - since he'd chopped the head off Morgana's favourite Barbie. "And I actually feel quite bad."

"You made someone _cry_?" Leon repeated, blinking in surprise. "_Who_?"

"Remember the guy I left with the other night," Arthur replied, shaking his head. "Him."

Leon blinked, looked startled, then frowned at something just over Arthur's shoulder. "You mean _him_?" he muttered, stabbing a finger onto the dance floor, eyebrows raised.

Arthur spun around in his seat, suitably bewildered, and immediately spotted Merlin on the opposite side of the room, dancing with a stranger. His head was tilted back, exposing a long pale throat, and the man behind him was grinding Merlin's hips back against what was undoubtedly an erection, looking disturbingly lecherous.

"God," Arthur exclaimed, slightly alarmed and more than a little exasperated, "I said someone _his own age_! That guy's even older than I am!"

"What, twenty-five?" Leon grinned, snorting into his drink.

"No," Arthur muttered, glaring. "Like _thirty_. And Merlin's _seventeen_."

"Well, the guy doesn't seem to care," his friend pointed out, watching the thirty-year old slip a hand under Merlin's shirt. "Nope, definitely not."

"Lord," Arthur breathed, looking skyward and turning back to the bar. "I hope the idiot knows what he's doing."

Leon shrugged his shoulders and ordered them another round, patting his friend reassuringly on the back. They talked in low voices for a small while, with Arthur deliberately not turning around and Leon deliberately not mentioning it, when suddenly, something caught his friend's eye.

"Um, Arthur," said Leon, interrupting one of Arthur's empathetic rants about his father. "I think Merlin might need help."

The blond blinked blearily before the words registered, twisting in his seat to locate his one-night stand, struggling against his dance partner. The man was attempting to place sloppy wet kisses down Merlin's throat, but the dark-haired man was pulling away, trying to wriggle free of his grasp.

Arthur sighed.

Climbing quickly to his feet, he made it across the dance-floor in less than a micro-second, quickly gripping onto Merlin's hand and pulling him away. The dark-haired man stumbled, undoubtedly surprised, before he caught sight of Arthur's face and entwined their fingers together, breathing a noticeable sigh of relief.

"Excuse me!" said the thirty-year old, looking incredulous. "He was dancing with me."

"And he's _my_ boyfriend," Arthur replied, knowing it would instantly diffuse an argument; the guy wouldn't bother arguing with him if he knew Merlin was already taken.

Merlin beamed, looking annoyingly pleased, and the blond couldn't help but glare at him out the corner of his eye, feeling irritated. He wasn't some sort of knight in shining armour, and he shouldn't have to deal with Merlin's problems.

"Oh," said the man, raising his eyebrows in a bewildered manner. He looked between them, glancing down at their linked fingers, before grumbling, "You should keep a better eye on him then." He turned, gave Merlin a disgusted look, and disappeared back into the crowd, causing the dark-haired man's shoulders to sag in relief.

"Thanks!" he breathed, as Arthur attempted to detangle their hands.

"Hmm," the blond muttered, feeling disgruntled and slight put upon. "No problem."

"See," Merlin exclaimed, beaming so widely Arthur could see the back of his mouth, "you do like me. Enough to come to my aid, anyway."

The blond scowled and folded his arms, jaw clenching. "I just don't want _anyone_ to be harassed in the middle of the dance-floor," he defended, silently cursing his protective streak. He couldn't help but want to save people, it was an ingrained characteristic! It had nothing to do with Merlin. At all.

But the dark-haired man was obviously in a world of his own; he carried on grinning inanely, as though he hadn't just been molested in the middle of a night-club, and determinedly ignored Arthur's less-than-pleased expression. "I mean, you wouldn't have saved me if you didn't care about me," he continued, eyes sparkling.

"Well, someone has to save you from your own stupidity," Arthur replied, rolling his eyes in utter defeat. There was just no point in arguing - Merlin wasn't even listening!

"You'll come to like me, Arthur, you just wait," the dark-haired man predicted, giving the blond a shimmering smile before turning on a heel and flouncing away, arms swinging wildly.

Arthur could do nothing but groan in complete dismay. He had a feeling that wasn't going to be the last he saw of Merlin.

TBC...

* * *

_A/N This is planned to be a three-parter atm, and I'm very sorry about the horrific title. But I hope you appriciated slightly besotted Merlin and old&wise (except not really) Arthur! If you want me to continue, please R&R! :)_


	2. Chapter 2

GENRE: Modern AU, romance, slash  
DISCLAIMER: I own nothing.

**WARNINGS**: Underage - depending on where you're from (Merlin's 17), explicit sexitimes, SLASH, general drunkeness

SUMMARY: When Arthur finds out that his one-night stand is only 17 years old, he does everything in his power to forget about it. But unfortunately, Merlin has other ideas, and just will not_ leave him alone_.

* * *

**Puppy-Dog Persistance**

**Part 2**

Over the next few weeks Arthur saw Merlin far more than he would have liked. Whenever he went to Camelot, Merlin was there, drinking cocktails he wasn't allowed, and flailing to the music like some sort of idiot, enthusiastic and unrestrained. Arthur would have found it amusing, if the man didn't try to talk to him all the time.

He'd walk to the bar and Merlin would follow him. He'd chat to a guy and Merlin would interrupt him. He'd dance to the music and Merlin would grind against himself. It was beginning to get tiresome, but as the dark-haired man had made no real move, Arthur couldn't bring himself to say, 'Fuck off!' He supposed it was too nice like that.

"He was horrible," Merlin was informing him, in their latest one-sided chat. He leant against the bar, tutted loudly, and shook his head. "I don't know why he has to be so mean to me."

Arthur blinked, attempting to return himself to the conversation and catch up with whatever Merlin was talking about. Hadn't he been complaining about some guy at his school that kept picking on him? "He's probably attracted to you," Arthur replied at last, leaning his head against his hand and questioning how on earth the boy had managed to corner him again. It's like he had some sort of creepy Arthur radar.

Merlin gaped, then laughed. "No, I don't think so," he muttered, lips quirking into an amused little smirk. "He's straight. And he thinks I'm a loser."

Arthur stared out at the pulsing dance floor and wondered how on earth he'd ended up listening to a seventeen year old boy complaining about his bullying problems. Cursing his life, he shook his head tiredly.

Raising his eyebrows in Merlin's direction, he took a sip of his drink and pictured Merlin in his school uniform, all shy and anxious. "Oh, you're that person," he said, unable to stop himself smiling slightly at the adorable mental images.

Merlin looked confused. "What person?"

"The awkward geeky kid," Arthur muttered teasingly, cocking his eyebrow in a challenging sort of way.

Merlin appeared pleased by the playful banter and beamed, while making a poor effort at attempting to appear insulted. "Hey!" he cried, giving the blond a playful thwack on the arm and rolling his eyes. "Let me guess, you were the popular jock?"

Arthur was unable to contain a smirk. "Enough with the American stereotypes," he scolded. "Just because I was on the football team, doesn't make me a jock."

Merlin raised his eyebrows disbelievingly and tapped Arthur on the arm. "But you were popular, right?"

"Look at me," Arthur joked, grinning, "of course I was!"

Merlin laughed, face shining in the bright flashing lights. "Oh, of course," he replied sarcastically, throwing Arthur a mischievous glare. "You were that person. The one that everyone bowed down to because you were good-looking, rich and athletic."

Arthur shrugged nonchalantly. "Jealously is an unbecoming quality, Merlin."

Merlin opened his mouth to speak, undoubtedly about to make some sort of insulting and stupid retort, when suddenly a large firm hand clamped down on Arthur's arm, and interrupted them. Arthur looked up to find Leon staring down at him, smiling widely with large twinkling eyes.

"As much as I hate to interrupt, we need to go" he said, not sounding sorry at all. In fact, he sounded amused. "Taxi's here."

"Oh," Arthur mouthed, wondering where all the time had suddenly gone. He got off his bar stool and gave Merlin a small smile, unable to ignore the other man's disappointed frown. "That's my queue then."

Merlin bobbed his head slightly, looking between Leon and Arthur with a little crease between his eyebrows. "Oh, ok," he muttered, raising his hand into a small jerking wave. He gave Arthur a hopeful little smile and gazed up at him from under his eyelashes, looking strangely hesitant. "See you here again soon?"

The blond raised his eyebrows and frowned, because honestly, what the hell was he supposed to say to that? He didn't want Merlin to get the wrong idea. "Yeah, I suppose," he said slowly, returning the smile in a reluctant sort of grimace. "You should get to bed though. It's late."

Merlin rolled his eyes. "Night."

Turning on the spot and walking away, Arthur called, "Night," back over his shoulder, feeling a bit bemused by the whole exchange. What exactly was Merlin trying to achieve? He'd made it perfectly clear that nothing more would ever happen between them.

Before Arthur could come up with an appropriate answer, however, Leon answered for him. "You know he's after you, right?" he asked, sounding almost as bewildered as Arthur felt. He glanced at his friend out the corner of his eye, then laughed, shaking his head in a disbelieving sort of motion.

The blond chuckled incredulously, but it did nothing to convince Leon or himself. "Why would he be after me?" he muttered, shrugging his shoulders with an attempt at disinterest. "He's already had me." Well, they had slept together.

"He likes you," Leon pointed out, sounding strangely fond. They exited the club and walked up beside the taxi, shivering from the sudden chill. "Can't you see what he's doing? He's courting you."

Arthur blinked, opened his mouth to argue, but then closed it again. Is that why Merlin kept talking to him? "Well, then if he's courting me, when's he going to make a move?" he asked, feeling a bit tentative and not at all excited.

"I don't know, Arthur." Leon grinned, obviously finding the whole situation rather amusing. "Only time will tell."

* * *

As it turned out, Merlin decided to make his move one week later, when Arthur was at work, sat at his desk, and staring unblinkingly at a blank computer screen. He let out a sigh, shuffled some papers, tapped his pen against his desk, and ignored the shrill beeping of his mobile, because he was too tired to do anything but stare into the distance.

His non-work was interrupted, however, when his assistant (and step-sister) marched into his office, hands on hips and glaring angrily.

"Yes, Morgana?" Arthur asked, a little annoyed he'd been interrupted without so much as a knock. He was supposed to be the boss, after all.

"If you're going to ignore your phone, at least turn it off," she scolded, looking grumpy. "I can hear it from out there!"

Arthur sighed. "Did you actually want something?"

She approached his desk and dumped down some files carelessly, buffing her nails on her pencil skirt, looking totally disinterested. "Here's the reports you wanted," she explained, clicking her tongue. "And the students we accepted have arrived for their work experience."

Arthur shuffled the papers, flicking through them quickly, and asked, "Students?"

"Yes, two." She flicked her long dark hair over a shoulder and turned to the door. "Oi! Kids!" she shrilled, tapping her high-heel against Arthur's marble floor. "Here. Now."

Two students shuffled over the threshold and into the office, while Arthur marked his documents. After circling a couple of important words, he looked up and blanched, eyes bulging in horror.

"Merlin!" he cried, too flabbergasted to be subtle about it. He couldn't believe it. Too much work had obviously addled his mind, because there was no way Merlin would actually be stupid enough to turn up at his office. _Surely_?

"Hello," the boy replied awkwardly, waving a small hand and looking sheepish. He was stood beside a petite dark-haired girl, with bright brown eyes and curly hair, who looked almost as uncomfortable as Merlin did.

"You know each other?" Morgana asked, for the first time in the conversation, sounding genuinely interested. She pointed a spindly finger at Merlin, then Arthur, eyebrows raised in confusion.

"We've met," Arthur answered shortly.

"Oh." Morgana blinked, actually looking stumped for a moment, watching Arthur glare, before she rallied herself and smoothed her skirts. "Well, you'll know that he's Merlin Emrys then. And this is Gwen - something? They're here for work experience."

Arthur snapped his pencil in half. "I see," he replied, through gritted teeth. "Well, nice to meet you Gwen." He inclined his head in Gwen's direction, watched her flush beetroot, before he turned to Merlin, unable to contain a scowl. "Emrys, can I have a word please?"

The dark-haired man shifted uncomfortably from foot to foot, looking noticeably sheepish under Arthur's glare. "Sure."

Gwen nodded her head respectively and hurried swiftly from the room, obviously taking the hint. Morgana on the other hand, looked between the two of them with a curious face, eyes bright and expectant.

Arthur glared at her.

"Oh, all right, I can take a hint!" she grumbled, turning on a heel and stomping from the room, swinging the door shut loudly behind her.

"So…" Arthur said, into the sudden silence. He rested his elbows on the desk and laced his fingers together, surveying Merlin calmly over his hands. "What the fuck are you doing here?"

To his credit, Merlin did a good job of looking confused. "Um…" he mumbled, biting his lip. "I'm here for work experience, just like she said."

"Here?" Arthur exclaimed, voice rising. "Here? Out of all the places in the city!"

Merlin shrugged, feigning a complete coincidence, like the little liar he was. "This company's the best - it will look great on my resume."

Arthur ignored him. "That's it," he announced, grinding his teeth. He didn't care how cute Merlin looked in his shirt and black trousers, hair combed sideways - the boy had gone a step too far! "I'm filing a restraining order!"

Merlin gaped, mouth dropping open in a rather gormless fashion. Lord, he really was an idiot. "But - that's not fair!" he exclaimed, looking wounded. "I'm only here for work-experience!"

"So you didn't apply here because of me?" Arthur asked challengingly.

The dark-haired man shuffled a toe against the floor and looked down at his feet. "No…" he replied, utterly unconvincing. He glanced up, beneath thick black eyelashes, and looked surprisingly earnest. "Please, just give me a chance! I won't bother you unless you ask me to. Please!"

Arthur gazed at him for a long moment, taking in the soft and eager face, before sighing, finding himself unable to resist the complete Bambi expression. _Dammit_. When had he gone so soft? "Ok, fine," he muttered, silently cursing himself. What had he done to deserve this? "But bother me, and you're fired."

Merlin beamed.

* * *

As it turned out, Merlin didn't really need to do anything to bother him. His mere _presence_ was driving Arthur absolutely insane.

Every day he'd wander into the office, usually late, but wearing a shirt and sometimes a tie, looking maddeningly delicious. He'd hover around Arthur's desk, making inane small talk, and smile at the blond like he was the best thing in the world, all teeth and dimples. Sometimes he'd bend over, tight round ass straining against his trousers, and pick up the documents he'd dropped, scattered and out of order. He'd hand them to Arthur with a sheepish smile, and the blond would stare blankly, too bemused to shout, and too busy replaying the movement over in his mind.

It was so frustrating Arthur was actually contemplating quitting himself - despite being the boss of the company, second only to Uther - merely so he could rid himself of Merlin entirely and be able to sleep at night once more.

The dark-haired man, on the other hand, seemed to be revelling in Arthur's company. And even though the blond took great lengths to ignore him, he would just not go away.

It took Arthur a whole four days to snap - four days longer than expected - and it was when Merlin slunk into Arthur's office, twiddling with his thumbs, and looking sheepish, that the blond could simply take it no more.

"Yes?" he snapped, as Merlin stopped at the front of his desk, blinking owlishly with his bright blue eyes.

"Um, I wanted to talk to you about something," Merlin muttered, shifting from foot to foot.

"Yes?" Arthur sighed, feeling maddeningly stressed, and closed his laptop, giving the dark-haired man his full attention. Maybe Merlin had a professional problem? Or wanted some advice? He wouldn't be the first employee to come to the blond for help.

"Tristan asked me out on a date," Merlin announced, in a hasty bumble of words, immediately squashing any notions Arthur had about the boy coming to ask for his professional opinion.

The blond blinked, bemused, and waited for the sentence to go somewhere. When it didn't, he sighed, and gave Merlin a long calculating look. "And…?"

"And, well, he likes me," Merlin pointed out, looking flustered.

But he needn't have told Arthur - he already knew that Tristan had feelings for the student. It had been mind-bogglingly obvious as soon as Merlin had beamed around the office, announcing himself to his new co-workers and giving them all a shy little wave. Tristan, a general busybody, had sat up straighter, gave Merlin a lecherous look, and had spent the last four days flirting with him.

Not that Arthur was bothered. Or even noticed. At all.

"So?" the blond said, attempting to sound bored.

"Well, I wanted to see how you felt if I went on a date with him?" Merlin muttered, scuffing his new polished shoes against the floor like a naughty little school boy; Arthur gritted his teeth and resisted the urge to tell him to stop, afraid he'd sound like his mother.

"I don't care, Merlin," the blond replied, shaking his head. "You do what you want."

The dark-haired man flushed beetroot, but moved forward, around Arthur's desk, looking determined and defiant. "So you wouldn't care if we hit it off?" he asked, voice soft. "If we started dating?" He stepped closer, leaning over the blond until his breath was puffing against his lips. "If I had sex with him?"

Arthur gulped, but refused to be intimidated by the proximity. "No," he said stubbornly.

Merlin was so, so fired.

"Really?" the dark-haired man asked, eyes scanning Arthur's face carefully, before his gaze found the curve of Arthur's lips. "'Cause I think you do."

Before Arthur could inform him that he most certainly did_ not_, however, Merlin closed the remaining distance between them and sealed their lips together in a passionate kiss. It was hot, wet, desperate, and oh so good, Arthur latching onto Merlin's arms and burying his fingers deep into his hair.

Merlin tumbled on top of him - all skinny and bony - and before Arthur knew it, buttons were undone, flies were unzipped, and they were rutting against each other, hard, fast, and out of control.

Arthur didn't know why he did it - maybe it was the unbearable sexual tension, the desperate need for release? Or maybe it was because he liked Merlin far more than he could ever admit, and wanted him naked and wanton more than anything?

But whatever the reason, as Arthur came, back bowed and muscles clenching, he found that he simply could not bring himself to care.

* * *

After the whole 'incident' in Arthur's office, he suddenly found that he just couldn't get rid of Merlin, who was behaving even more stalkerish than before. He'd walk into work and Merlin would be beaming at him. He'd leave the office and Merlin would be waiting for him. He'd go to Camelot and Merlin would even be ordering his favourite god-damn drink!

The whole situation had just completely spiralled beyond his control.

Every time Merlin pressed against him, eager and wanton, Arthur simply couldn't bring himself to pull away, despite the voice in his head screaming, 'PRISON! PRISON!' He let Merlin kiss him in the sanctuary off his office, slow and languid. He let Merlin press him against his own bed covers, clumsy and enthusiastic. He even found himself letting Merlin stay with him at night, eat his food and octopus himself all over his bed.

It was strange, but in a good way. Arthur enjoyed Merlin's company - even all his little quirks that would usually have been incredibly irritating - and allowed the boy into his life in a way that he never really allowed with other boyfriends. It was undoubtedly because Merlin was so incredibly persistent; if he wanted something - usually Arthur - he would pout and whine until he got it. It was annoying, but stupidly effective nevertheless.

They often watched the TV in Arthur's spacious apartment, and Merlin would chose the channel and snacks, leaving the blond grumbling in annoyance. But despite his whinging, he never actually did anything to prevent it. He found himself indulging Merlin, letting him have what he wanted, while simply enjoying the way his eyes would light up and his face would split into a happy grin, all teeth and dimples; it made Arthur's chest contract with affection.

One night he even let Merlin curl around him on the sofa like a large contented cat, one who fell asleep before the movie finished (he really was such a child), while drooling all over Arthur's shoulder and sniffling into his neck. It was annoying, exasperating and a little bit disgusted, but the blond couldn't bring himself to pull away. He merely petted Merlin's head, stroked his fingers through the nest he called hair, and allowed the boy to snore quietly against his chest, closing his own eyes with a strange feeling of contentment.

And even the sex was_ interesting_.

Merlin was all uncoordinated limbs, sloppy kisses, and infectious excitement. He bounced, he flailed, and sometimes hit Arthur in uncomfortable places, but the blond found it bewilderingly enjoyable nonetheless. Merlin was so vibrant and eager that it was hard not to return the sentiment, and Arthur enjoyed teaching him new things, watching his eyes widen, his ears flush, and his mouth open in a silent 'oh!'

He was just so enthusiastic about everything. He would layer Arthur's body in hard wet kisses, suck the skin between his teeth, and nibble and lick and leave the blond feeling utterly breathless. It was addictive, and even when Arthur looked as though he'd been attacked by some sort of vampire-bat the next morning, he'd merely laugh at Merlin's sheepish expression and exclaim, "God, you really are such a teenager!"

The only problem though, was everyone else. It was impossible not to notice the vivid red marks all over Arthur's neck, and his friends and colleagues had become quickly suspicious, continuingly asking, "Who's the lucky guy?" He always shrugged and remained vague, but the problems between himself and Merlin were hardly resolved, even if the dark-haired man believed making Arthur see stars was the answer to everything.

The love-bites were also causing _another_ problem. They made it impossible for Arthur to even contemplate sleeping with someone else, because although he and Merlin were definitely not exclusive - at least in Arthur's book - Merlin's marks completely adorned his body. It was really embarrassing in that he was far too old to be allowing somebody to claim him so obviously, but he can't quite bring himself to tell Merlin to stop.

He always allowed Merlin to have his wicked way with him, despite his reservations, and it was only in the aftermath that he found himself asking, "What the fuck am I doing?"

**TBC...**

* * *

_A/N There's only one more part after this. Thanks for the reviews and please R&R to let me know what you think!_


	3. Chapter 3

**SUMMARY:** When Arthur finds out that his one-night stand is only 17 years old, he does everything in his power to forget about it. But unfortunately, Merlin has other ideas, and just will not_ leave him alone_.

**WARNINGS**: Slash, underage depending on where you're from (Merlin's 17), sexitimes, language

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

* * *

**Puppy-Dog Persistence**

**PART 3/3 **

Before Arthur could quite figure out what happened, one week later, he found himself in an Italian restaurant, gazing at Merlin over the top of his menu, definitely _not_ on a date.

"And I can order whatever I want?" Merlin seemed to be saying, smacking his lips and scanning the choices with something akin to excitement. He'd even brushed his hair, worn a tidy shirt, and was looking far more delicious than anything on the menu. Not that Arthur would ever admit as much out loud - _ever_.

"Yeah," he replied, already somewhat regretting his decision to bring Merlin out. It wasn't a particularly fancy place, but it was dinner! With Merlin. Very...date-like.

"I'm going to have pizza and chips," the dark-haired man announced, grinning his usual gormless grin.

Arthur sighed and resisted the urge to roll his eyes. "I wasn't aware I was going out with a ten year old?"

"Oh, hush," Merlin muttered, waving him off with a smile. "Can't beat the classics."

As the waiter took their orders and flounced off, Arthur leant his head on his hand and looked up to meet Merlin's eyes, startled by the intensity of the other man's expression. Merlin was staring at him with thinly-veiled adoration, so bright and radiant, Arthur felt uncomfortable under the force of it. All the dark-haired man felt for him was puppy-love - nothing more! It would pass eventually, and Merlin would find someone far more appropriate to be in a relationship with.

"What are you thinking about?" the boy asked curiously, cocking his head and looking genuinely interested, as though the answer really mattered to him.

Arthur shrugged, but answered, "You," in total honesty.

"Me?" Merlin repeated, looking alarmingly pleased that Arthur suddenly wanted to backtrack. He reached across the table and grasped at Arthur's hand, stroking his knuckles with a wide smile, face flushing. "Well, I think about you all the time too."

Arthur raised his eyebrows, unsure of how to respond. "Really?" he asked, sounding more satisfied than he actually intended - he knew he shouldn't be encouraging the kid!

"Of course," Merlin replied, "Who doesn't think about their boyfriend?"

Arthur was saved from responding, however, when the waiter that appeared with their food, interrupting them before the blond could say something that he'd probably regret. He'd have to remember to give the man a tip - his timing was impeccable!

They ate in a strangely comfortable silence, only occasionally making casual conversation, as Arthur mashed his food round and round his plate, and repeated the word 'BOYFRIEND!' over and over in his mind. He was so, so screwed.

"You know, I'm glad my work experience is over now," Merlin said a few minutes later, as Arthur glared off into the distance. He licked tomato sauce off his fingers and grinned sheepishly, attempting to disguise the mess he'd managed to make all over the table with only a pizza and a couple of chips. "Not that I won't miss you, but it isn't good to be around each other 24/7 in a relationship."

Arthur blinked. A relationship? Good god!

"Or at least that's what Gwen said," Merlin continued, as oblivious as usual to Arthur's internal panic. "I don't think I'd mind being in your company 24/7, but Cosmo can't be wrong."

FUCCCCCCCCCCCKKKKKKKK. Arthur was in a relationship with someone that took dating advice from Cosmo magazine. He was utterly doomed.

But before he could form any sort of response other than gaping like a fish, a voice called "Merlin!" from the other side of the restaurant. Feeling grateful to whoever the person was, and silently thanking God, Arthur turned in his seat to identify the owner of the voice, coming almost face-to-face with a pimply teenage boy. He was short and slender with dark hair and dark eyes - nothing extraordinary - but he seemed to be familiar with Merlin, his expression curious but welcoming.

"Will!" the dark-haired man greeted, sounding surprised. Arthur dimly recalled hearing Merlin talk about a Will, who was apparently one of his best friends, but they'd never actually met. "What are you doing here?"

"I've been dragged out for 'Family Night' with my parents," Will explained, making sarcastic quotation marks and looking none too pleased. His eyes flicked over Arthur before widening, blinking in transparent astonishment. "This is the guy you're always on about then? Arthur?"

"That's me," the blond confirmed, giving the guy a small strained smile. What had Merlin been saying about him? He hoped he hadn't told his friends that Arthur was his boyfriend.

Will stared at him. "You're very - " he paused, a little bit bemused "- blond."

Arthur raised his eyebrows; he had a feeling that was not what the guy had intended to say.

"It's just, you're older right?" Will continued, obviously struggling to explain himself. He looked between Arthur and Merlin with a funny expression on his face, visibly bewildered. Arthur couldn't understand why - he wasn't that old! "And rich apparently." He frowned in confusion, and added questioningly, "What are you dating Merlin for?"

"Will!" Merlin cried, evidently insulted. His skin was flaming in embarrassment and he was staring at his friend with wide, hurt eyes.

"It's just that we're still in school," Will said hastily, obviously realising he'd stepped on a mine, gesturing to Arthur. "He's not!"

Frowning, Arthur ground his teeth loudly, knowing he could get arrested if he dared assault a minor. But honestly, couldn't the stupid little kid keep his mouth shut? He was digging his own grave. "I'm with Merlin because I like him," he explained, sounding sharp. "Obviously."

Merlin and Will both blinked at him, before his 'boyfriend' beamed, looking proud and almost painfully cheerful. Arthur mentally kicked himself.

"Oh," Will mouthed, obviously uncomfortable, and still decidedly confused. "I didn't mean to offend - I'm just surprised."

Arthur gave him a short shift nod before the boy moved away, giving Merlin a friendly pat on the back and an apologetic smile. The table instantly descended into silence at his departure, as Merlin stared at him across their dessert, while the blond gazed steadfastly in the opposite direction.

"Thanks for sticking up for me," the dark-haired man said in a small voice, as Arthur summoned the bill. He licked his lips and looked up from the blond from beneath his eyelashes, both shy and coy. "Can I stay at your place tonight?"

Arthur paid for the dinner, attempting to buy himself time, before he got to his feet and said, "Don't you need to be getting home?"

Merlin wriggled into his coat, joined Arthur round his side of the table, and looped their arms together. "I already told my mum I was staying round Will's," he informed him, smiling widely, totally unashamed.

Arthur rolled his eyes and nudged Merlin out of the restaurant, unable to stop his lips quirking in amusement. "I bit presumptuous, don't you think?" he asked, raising his eyebrows at his 'boyfriend' challengingly. "What if I don't want you to stay?"

"You do," Merlin responded instantly, sounding pretty happy with himself. He glanced at the blond out of the corner of his eye and gave him a cheeky grin. "You can't resist me."

Arthur opened his mouth to argue, as he always did, before Merlin entwined their hands together and practically skipped to Arthur's car, arms swinging wildly between them. He looked up at the sky, face shining, looking so bright and innocent that the blond felt his heart swell in his chest.

Maybe Merlin was right. Maybe Arthur couldn't resist him.

* * *

Arthur was sat in his bed two weeks later, laptop poised, definitely not falling asleep in front of his work, when there was a loud knock on his door. He blinked in surprise, glanced at his clock which read 12:30, and frowned, wondering who on earth would decide to visit him at such an hour.

He slipped out his bed and padded to his front door, hoping whoever it was would leave soon so he could get on with what he was supposed to be doing; he really didn't want to stay up much longer, but he still had a lot of work that needed to be finished.

But as soon as he saw who was stood on the other side of the threshold, Arthur's words of contempt died in his mouth. It was Merlin, looking tear-stained and sad, sniffling into the sleeve of his jumper.

"Hi," he croaked, eyes watering. "Can I come in?"

Arthur blinked for a moment, feeling a bit bemused, before Merlin's heart-broken face finally caught up with him. "Oh, of course!" he muttered, standing aside and allowing his lover to shuffle past him, trampling the dirt from his shoes all over Arthur's new carpet. "What happened? What's wrong?"

Merlin turned to face him, tear-tracks drying on his cheeks and nose florescent red, looking completely pathetic and utterly adorable at the same time. "It's - it's Will," he muttered, rubbing his eyes with a shaking pale hand.

Arthur shook his head. Will? The one he'd met at the restaurant? "That's your best friend, right?" he asked, for clarification.

Merlin nodded sadly, before he froze, his face shuttering, and shook his head violently. "No, n-not anymore!"

"Why not?" Arthur questioned, concerned despite himself. He took a step closer, rubbed a soothing hand up Merlin's arm, and staggered back as the dark-haired man immediately flew into his embrace, shoulders shaking.

"He - to-old my mum about us," Merlin wailed, voice muffled against Arthur's chest. "H-he told her that I've been staying with you instead of round his house like I said. And my mum was so upset! She couldn't believe that I'd been lying to her!"

Arthur cringed. God, now Merlin's mum knew about them! That only meant one thing: he was officially Merlin's boyfriend. Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, FUCK!

Attempting to keep his own internal panic under control, he patted Merlin's back uncomfortably, giving his temple an automatically soft kiss. "What did Will do that for?" he asked, making a mental note to go and pound Merlin's supposed 'best-friend' into the ground. What a dickhead.

"I think he likes me," Merlin explained, wiping his tears in Arthur's £300 shirt. Lord.

"Likes you, likes you?" the blond guessed, an uneasy feeling settling in his gut. Will liked Merlin? He wasn't sure how he felt about that. Will would certainly make a far more suitable boyfriend for Merlin than he did, and that thought made him decidedly uncomfortable.

"Yeah," the dark-haired breathed, nuzzling his nose into Arthur's neck like an affectionate little kitten and calming slightly. "But he knows I'm with you and I-I think he got jealous."

Arthur stroked the soft hair at the back of his head. "What did your mum say?"

Merlin sniffed again. "She couldn't believe I'd been staying out at a guy's house without telling her. She thinks I'm too young to be going out and…doing that," he explained, sounding soft and strained. He panted against Arthur's collarbone for a long moment, clutching at his shirt, before he spoke again. "She wasn't angry - she was disappointed."

Arthur winced. Disappointed parents were always the worst. He should know - his father was Uther!

"Come on," the blond muttered, shuffling Merlin into his bedroom. "Go to sleep - you'll feel better in the morning."

Merlin nodded dumbly, slipped his hands up Arthur's shirt and looped them round his waist, clinging like a limpet. The blond sighed and lowered them both down onto the covers of his bed, patting Merlin's back with an absent tenderness.

He guessed work would just have to wait.

* * *

After Merlin's involuntary coming out to his mother, things had quickly descended into his own personal hell. No longer could Arthur fool himself into thinking he and Merlin were nothing but a fling, because Hunith - kind and clueless soul that she was - had immediately extended him an invitation to dinner.

Arthur was officially meeting the bloody parents, and he could not be more terrified! If that wasn't a sign of a serious relationship, he didn't know what was, and honestly, he wasn't an agreeable person at the best of times. Hunith was going to_ hate _him.

The blond had attempted to wriggle out of it, explaining his reluctance to Merlin, but the other man had merely beamed and gotten all excited, obviously not above using emotional blackmail. And like some sort of sucker, Arthur fell for it.

He grumbled all the way up to Merlin's front doorstep, silently cursing Leon for ever pointing the dark-haired man out in the first place, and tried to ignore how much his hands were sweating. He didn't understand why he was so anxious - it wasn't as though he actually cared what Hunith thought, but Merlin did, and Arthur cared what Merlin thought. Sort of.

It was all a vicious circle.

He knocked on the door softly, hoping that they wouldn't hear him and he'd have an excuse to run, before Merlin opened it a second later, looking excited, bubbly and just about as jittery as Arthur felt. "Hi!" he exclaimed, cheeks flushed. "Thanks for coming."

Arthur refrained from pointing out Merlin had left him little choice. He followed his boyfriend into the house, strangely anxious, and shrugged off his coat. What if Hunith didn't like him? Would Merlin dump him because of it? Not that Arthur cared, of course - he just didn't want to get dumped by a seventeen year old. That was all sorts of embarassing.

"My mum's in the living room," Merlin whispered, so loudly she could probably hear. "She can't wait to meet you."

Arthur raised his eyebrows disbelievingly. "I find that hard to believe."

"Not every parent is as scary as your father, Arthur," Merlin pointed out, shaking his head and giving him a smile. "Come on." He clasped Arthur's hand and laced their fingers together, squeezing them tightly before tugging him forward, shuffling them both into the living room.

A small brown-haired woman was waiting for them, hands clasped in front of her and a hesitant smile on his face, her eyes warm and kind. She greeted Arthur with a nod of her head and brief wave, looking almost as uncomfortable as he felt. "You must be Arthur," she said. "I'm Hunith. Nice to meet you."

The blond attempted to smile back, just hoping it didn't come out as a grimace. "Hi, nice to meet you too."

They stood in an awkward silence before Merlin decided to speak, feigning cheer. "Let's go sit down for dinner, shall we?"

Arthur nodded. It was going to be a long night.

* * *

Dinner was finally over - full of stilted conversation and awkward questions - and Arthur had offered to help Hunith clear the plates, a gesture he was now coming to sincerely regret. He was stood in the kitchen, washing the cutlery, and trying not to look to his left, where he could see Merlin's mother staring at him unblinkingly out the corner of his eye, brow furrowed.

"I don't mean to be rude," she said at last, voice soft and curious, "but I'm just trying to understand."

Thrown by the words that made little sense to him, Arthur blinked, but carried on washing automatically, dunking the plates in the water. "Understand what?" he asked, attempting to sound casual.

"You're rich, successful, good-looking," Hunith muttered, face creased into a frown, "and yet you're dating a seventeen year old." She shrugged her shoulders slightly and stepped closer. "Merlin's besotted with you, and I can see why - how often does a high-school kid get to date someone like you?"

Arthur put down his sponge and turned to face her, realising that he was going to have to confront her if he ever expected her to understand. "I know this must be hard for you," he began, eyes wide and earnest, "but I do genuinely have feelings for Merlin. I didn't know how old he was at first, and he - he was very persistent."

Hunith smiled - a small quirk of her lips - and nodded her head. "I know you have feelings for him, you wouldn't be here if you didn't," she pointed out, something that had evaded Arthur entirely; he really did care for Merlin, perhaps more than he'd realised. "I just - I hope you know what you're doing."

Arthur stared. "I - I don't know what you mean?" he admitted slowly.

"Just look after him," she muttered, reaching up and patting Arthur on the cheek in a way that was so motherly he almost choked in surprise. It had been a long time, since someone had touched him like that. "I don't want him hurt, and you mean an awful lot to him."

Arthur pictured Merlin's face, devastated and blotchy, and nodded empathically, a feeling tight in his chest. "I won't hurt him," he announced, voice firm and calm.

He remembered Merlin all upset when Will had grassed on him, and very much hoped never to see it again, especially if he was the cause. He hated seeing Merlin teary and distresse - he was so bright, and happy, and eager, and innocent all the time, that he just didn't deserve it. He was too goddamn _nice_.

Hunith watched the blond carefully, taking in his expression, before she whispered, "You love him?" in a way that wasn't much of a question.

Arthur froze, heart suddenly thundering, and found himself nodding, his body replying without any consent from his mind. "I suppose I do," he admitted, quiet and breathless, more to himself than a smiling Hunith. "In my way."

Fuck.

* * *

"So," Merlin breathed, a month later, on the eve of his 18th birthday, "are you finally going to admit you're my boyfriend now I'm legally an adult?"

Arthur rolled his eyes up at the ceiling, sweaty and moist, before shrugging nonchalantly. "I've never said you weren't my boyfriend," he pointed out, watching Merlin bring up a hand and trace patterns on his chest. He was feeling warm and fuzzy, and so curled into the other man's embrace, looping an arm around a skinny waist.

"But you never said that you were," the dark-haired man argued, raising an amused eyebrow. "You always changed the subject."

Arthur supposed that was true, but didn't want to admit it. "I don't know what you're talking about," he replied innocently, stroking a hand through the damp hair on Merlin's nape and curling it around his fingers. "Stop talking nonsense."

Merlin let out a breathy laugh. "You are such a prat," he said fondly, placing a kiss on naked skin of Arthur's chest. "Just admit that you're my boyfriend! It's almost my birthday - it can be my present!"

Arthur smiled and shook his head. He'd got Merlin a proper present of course, booking a nice meal and buying him his stupid DVD's that he liked, but wanted to keep it as a surprise. So instead he sighed loudly, attempting to look longsuffering, and admitted, "Yes, Merlin, you are my boyfriend."

The dark-haired man grinned. "Your exclusive boyfriend…?" he prompted.

Arthur glared at him out the corner of his eye but said, "Yes, your exclusive boyfriend."

"Who you love with all your heart…?"

The blond froze, turned his head to look at his boyfriend, who was smiling softly, although his eyes were hooded with something expectant and intense. He looked every inch the love-sick teenager, full of romantic notions of love and forever, which Arthur had never intended to believe in; he was too old, too sensible - but was feeling it nevertheless.

"Come on, it's my birthday," Merlin prompted, only a slight quiver of fear creeping into his voice, as though he was half expecting Arthur to turn and run. "Who you love with all your heart…?"

The blond licked his lips, heart thumping, already cursing his own stupidity, and admitted, "Who I love with all my heart."

Merlin instantly beamed, eyes crinkling, and let out a disbelievingly laugh. "Wow, you admitted it," he whispered, nuzzling against Arthur's ear. He paused for a moment, breath hot down his boyfriend's neck, before he spoke again, sounding happy and triumphant. "I love you too," he muttered. "But of course, you already knew that."

The blond grinned. Merlin had hardly been subtle in his affections, even from the beginning.

"See, Arthur, that wasn't so hard, was it?" the dark-haired man continued, flicking his ear. "I knew you'd come to like me eventually."

Arthur couldn't even bring himself to disagree with him.

-END-

* * *

A/N My first Merlin series complete! YAY! Please R&R and let me know what you think!


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